Meet the Oliver’s Market Staff
Steve Maass
Founder & President
Steve is the Founder and President of Oliver’s Markets. He began his retail career in 1972 as the founder of Maass Produce and operated produce stands around the Bay Area. He was also Produce Manager at Food 4 Less (Santa Rosa) before opening the first Oliver’s Market in 1988.
Jill Olsen
Corporate Financial Officer
Jill joined Oliver’s in 1990 as Bookkeeper and has grown her role as the company has grown to meet new needs and challenges. After being promoted to Controller in 2000, Jill was named Chief Financial Officer in 2007.
Scott Gross
General Manager
Scott joined Oliver’s as a Produce Clerk in 2000, as he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology at SSU. Scott joined management in 2005, serving in Cotati and Montecito stores. He served as Project Manager for Windsor construction, and was opening Store Director. He was named General Manager in 2016.
Eric Meuse
General Manager of Operations
Eric joined Oliver’s Cotati in 1989. He quickly went from staff positions to a management role as Assistant Store Director in 1993 and Cotati Store Director in 2000. He opened the Stony Point store in 2007 and served as Store Director there until he was named General Manager of Operations in 2016. Eric earned his BS in Business Management from Sonoma State University. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Cotati Chamber of Commerce.
Susan Walling
Human Resources Director
Susan joined the newly opened Montecito store in 2000 as a Checker. She rapidly progressed to Front End Lead and then Floral Department Manager. She was named Human Resources Director in 2006, creating a central department for the company from the ground up.
Nexsy Maldonado
Human Resources Manager
Nexsy brings ten years of food industry HR experience, including Foster Farms, Cargill, and Rich Products. Her experience in labor law, employee relations, and coaching will support Oliver’s HR capabilities. Nexsy earned her BS, Business Administration (concentration in HR) from DeVry University. She served as a U.S. Army Intelligence Analyst and is bilingual (English/Spanish).
Business Office Staff
Patty Butler
Corporate Office Manager
Patty joined Oliver’s in 1999, following work with Molsberry Market and A&B Market. She was hired as Front End Lead for Cotati, and moved on to Montecito and Stony Point, where she was promoted to office manager/money clerk in 2007. She joined the Business Office in her current role in 2014.
Paula Biancalana
Corporate Bookkeeping Manager
After a stop at Redwood Market in Cotati, Paula joined Oliver’s in 1990, first as Checker and Front End Lead and then moving into roles of increasing responsibility as Accounts Payable Clerk, Payroll Clerk, Assistant Office Manager and Bookkeeper before being promoted to Bookkeeping Manager in 2017.
Dustin Canter
Natural Grocery Buyer
Dustin joined Oliver’s in 2007 as a member of the Grocery team. Since then, he has worked as a POS Clerk, Grocery Clerk, Front End Lead, Dairy Lead and Natural Foods Lead before being named Front End Customer Service Manager in 2014. In 2017, Dustin was named Assistant Store Director. In September 2020, Dustin was named Natural Foods Buyer.
Lawrence Jacobs
Conventional Grocery Buyer
Since joining Oliver’s in 1998, Lawrence has held a good range of positions, moving from Utility Clerk and Checker to a Natural Foods Merchandiser, Dairy Clerk, Front End Lead, Front End Manager, Assistant Store Director and since 2012, Conventional/Specialty Grocery Buyer.
Richard Williams
Beer, Wine & Spirits Buyer
Richard became Beer, Wine & Spirits buyer for Oliver’s Markets in 2009. He has been in the retail world for more than 44 years and has been both store manager and wine buyer for many fine Northern California stores. His travels have taken him to Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific. He has a passion for fine food and wine, and considers them inseparable partners.
Todd Davis
Meat & Seafood Coordinator
Todd joined Oliver’s as Meat & Seafood Coordinator in 2011, bringing a new level of leadership and strategy to the role. Todd’s extensive retail management and meat department background includes roles in several management positions in the industry before coming to Oliver’s Market in 2011.
Mark Kowalkowski
Corporate Executive Chef
Mark joined Oliver’s in 2009 as Corporate Executive Chef, bringing the focus and quality of the Oliver’s prepared food program to a new level. Mark’s extensive background includes degrees from Purdue and the Culinary Institute of America and work in top restaurants in Hawaii, Chicago and Sonoma County.
Mike Peterson
Produce Coordinator
Mike grew up in Santa Rosa and joined Oliver’s in 1999 as a Produce Clerk. He was promoted to Produce Manager in 2007 and Produce Coordinator in 2015. He is passionate about building a local, sustainable food system by working with farms and partners like F.E.E.D. Sonoma to carry the finest local produce. Mike earned his AA degree at Santa Rosa Junior College.
Emily O’Conor
Gourmet Cheese Coordinator
Emily joined Oliver’s in our Stony Point Gourmet Cheese Department in 2014. She was named Gourmet Cheese Department Manager as part of the Windsor opening store team in early 2016.
Marghi Sulas
Bakery Coordinator
Bakery Department Coordinator Marghi has been with Oliver’s since 2008, when she joined the Stony Point store as a Baker and Cake Decorator. She became Assistant Bakery Department Manager in 2010, and Bakery Manager at Stony Point in 2013. In early 2015, she was promoted to her current role.
Jacob Peters
Wellness Coordinator
Jacob joined Oliver’s in 2016 as Wellness Department Assistant Manager in Stony Point. He was named Wellness Department Manager, Cotati in 2017. Jacob’s previous experience includes a variety of roles at Community Market.
Shirley Liu-Pasquin
Customer Service Specialist
Shirley joined Oliver’s in 2007, bringing career experience in real estate and retail, including ten years at Safeway. After working as a Front End Lead for six years at the Cotati store, Shirley was tapped for the role of Customer Service Specialist in 2014.
Lisa Hall
Corporate Point of Sale Manager
Lisa joined Oliver’s in 2000 and worked in Point of Sale for six years before being promoted to Point of Sale Manager in 2006. She excels at improving and innovating existing systems to serve changing needs of the company, and has improved the inventory process, resulting in efficiency and profitability.
Lidia Soto
Health & Food Safety Compliance Analyst
Lidia began her career at Oliver’s Market in 2014 as the Stony Point Commissary Kitchen Manager. She was promoted to her current position in 2016. Lidia brings extensive background in bar and restaurant management to the role. She has a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Management from Oregon State University.
David Dominguez
Corporate Transportation Manager
David joined Oliver’s in 2010 as a member of the Grocery team in Cotati. He then moved to Oliver’s first warehouse when it opened in Rohnert Park in 2011. He played a key role in the move to the Oliver’s Santa Rosa office and warehouse in 2013, and was named Corporate Transportation Manager that same year.
Annie Sherman
Corporate Sustainability Coordinator
Annie joined Oliver’s in 2017, bringing rich experience from Whole Foods Market and the County of Sonoma, where she focused on recycling and green business outreach. Annie earned a BA in Social Sciences from CSU, Chico and an MBA in Sustainable Enterprise from Dominican.
Michael Johnston
Corporate Systems Maintenance Manager
Michael joined Oliver’s in 1999 to manage the Wellness Department for the newly opening Montecito store. From there, he moved into the POS department and began taking on more IT tasks as the company’s needs grew. He has focused on IT full-time since 2010.
Aubrey Ballinger
Corporate Graphics Manager
Aubrey joined Oliver’s in April 2012 as Bakery Customer Service in our Montecito store. She quickly became a cake decorator and was promoted to Bakery Assistant Manager in May 2013 and to Bakery Manager in Stony Point in March 2016. Aubrey transferred to the Corporate Graphics and Marketing team in May 2017 as Graphic Production Assistant, moved up to Graphic Designer and was promoted to Corporate Graphics Manager in 2019.
James Schwedhelm
Deli Coordinator
James joined Oliver’s in 2013 as Assistant Deli Manager in Stony Point. He was promoted to Deli Manager for Montecito in 2016. Prior work experience includes deli management at Paradise Foods and Marinwood Market, and wholesale work with North Bay Deli Provisions.
Cotati Store Management
Jeff Spackman
Store Director
Jeff began his career with Oliver’s in 1991 as a Utility Clerk while in high school. His career path included warehouse and department management before he was named Second Assistant at the Montecito store in 2000 and First Assistant in 2007, he then returned to the Cotati Store as Store Director in 2009.
Shawn Reilly
1st Assistant Store Director
Shawn joined Oliver’s in 2000 as Grocery Clerk, progressing to Grocery Lead in 2005 and Second Assistant Manager in 2012. From 2013-2016, he was Retail Merchandising Specialist. In 2016, he managed the newly opened Windsor Tavern. In 2017, he was named First Assistant Store Director. Shawn earned his BA and MA in US History at Sonoma State University.
Savannah Schader
Customer Service Manager
Savannah joined Oliver’s in 2016 as a Front End Lead in our Montecito store. She was promoted to Customer Service Manager for our Cotati store in October 2020. Savannah graduated from University of Idaho in 2012 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology.
Brian Swain
Production Manager
Brian joined Oliver’s Market in August 2011 as a Grocery Clerk at our Montecito store. After four years, he transitioned to a being a seasonal employee to attend UC Berkeley, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Physics. He returned to Oliver’s full-time in 2018 and was promoted to Production Lead in Cotati. Brian was promoted to Production Manager in August 2020.
Everett Corvino
Delicatessen Manager
Everett began his career in February 2013 in our Montecito Taqueria. He has served as Deli Lead, Deli Assistant Manager and Deli Receiver and has worked in Montecito, Stony Point and Cotati. He is now the Deli Manager in our Cotati location.
Mary Durham
Executive Chef
Mary began her career at Oliver’s as the Sous Chef in May 2016 and was promoted to Executive Chef in 2019.
Hayley Steele
Meat Department Manager
Hayley joined Oliver’s Market Stony Point in May 2013 as Meat Customer Service. She has served in the role of Meat Production/BBQ, Butcher and was promoted to Meat Assistant Manager in our Windsor store in October 2016. Hayley transferred to the Cotati store where she has served as the Assistant Meat Manager since December 2017. Hayley is now the Meat & Seafood Manager of our Cotati location!
Tati Espinoza
Produce Manager
Tati was hired in 2001 as a Produce Clerk in Cotati. In 2004, Tati moved into Grocery and Dairy roles, but returned to Produce to serve as Assistant Manager in Stony Point when the store opened in 2007. In late 2015, Tati returned to Cotati as Assistant Manager and was promoted to Manager in 2017.
Melanie Spackman
Bakery Manager
Melanie joined Oliver’s in 1995 working in the juice bar. She worked her way up in the Bakery and was named Assistant Manager in 1998. She was named Bakery Manager in 2002.
Wade Johnson
Cheese Manager
Wade joined Oliver’s in August 2010 in the Gourmet Cheese Department and was named Manager in May 2015. Wade is very passionate about supporting local farmers and cheese makers, and appreciates the opportunity to educate customers every day. “Where there’s a wheel, there’s a whey,” says Wade.
Justin Bowman
Wine Manager
Justin joined Oliver’s in 2009 as Wine Department Lead for Oliver’s Cotati. His previous experience includes five years as a Wine & Beer Specialist for Whole Foods. He was named Manager for the department in 2016.
Gema Lopez
Wellness Manager
Gema joined Oliver’s Market in April 1999 as a Dishwasher/Kitchen Clerk in our Cotati Deli and worked in the capacity of Cook, Deli Lead and Assistant Deli Manager between 1999-2011. Gema moved to the Front End in 2011 as a checker and to the Wellness Department in April 2015 where she’s worked as a Wellness Clerk and was promoted to Wellness Assistant Manager in November 2015 and Wellness Manager in 2019.
Montecito Store Management
Frank Camilleri
Store Director
After 20 years at Petrini’s Markets, and Safeway for nine years, Frank joined the Oliver’s Team as Store Director in 2006. Frank is focused on results in all areas. From exceeding customer expectations to increasing profits, from reducing costs to mentoring his team to succeed at achieving their goals he is passionate about the success of all.
Garrett Toller
1st Assistant Store Director
Garrett joined Oliver’s in 2005 as a grocery clerk, and served as Grocery Lead, Dairy Lead and Front End Manager before his promotion to First Assistant Store Director. Garrett earned his AA at Santa Rosa JC and his BA at Sonoma State University.
Scott Gerber
Production Manager
Scott joined Oliver’s Market in December 2004 as a Utility Clerk at the Stony Point Store. He was promoted to Grocery Lead at Cotati in 2009 then moved to Stony Point in 2015. Scott took on the role of Natural Lead at Montecito in 2018, prior to being selected for the new Production Manager for Montecito in August 2020.
Laurie Strik
Front End Customer Service Manager
Laurie came to Oliver’s Montecito in 2000 as a checker with previous background in retail sales, banking, and customer service. She was promoted to Front End Lead and then named Second Assistant in 2013.
Connie Harkey
Delicatessen Manager
Connie joined Oliver’s in 2000 as Deli Lead when the Montecito store opened. She was promoted to Deli Receiver and Deli Assistant Manager before being promoted to the role of Deli Manager in 2005. She was on the opening team of the Stony Point store in 2007 and moved to Cotati in 2009.
Charles Garcia
Executive Chef
Charles joined Oliver’s Stony Point as Sous Chef August 2014 and was named Executive Chef for Montecito in 2017. His professional background includes work at Zin Restaurant and The Wild Oak Saddle Club. He is a graduate of Le Jardin Du Maitre culinary program in southern California.
Genaro Romero
Meat/Seafood Manager
Genaro began his career with Oliver’s in June 2014 as Meat Production in our Stony Point store. He was quickly promoted to Butcher where he worked until his promotion to Meat Assistant Manager at Montecito in February 2016. He is now the Meat & Seafood Manager at our Montecito location.
Lisa Hampton
Produce Manager
Lisa joined Oliver’s Montecito Produce Department in 2016, bringing 27 years of produce operations and training background from Safeway. Lisa was promoted to Produce Department Manager in 2017. In her spare time, Lisa enjoys fishing, sailing, camping and any water sports
Ron Barbata
Bakery Manager
An LA boy who fell in love with Sonoma County and great food, Ron joined Oliver’s in 1994 as a Bakery Manager. Ron is a true foodie at heart, and has been involved in the Deli, Bakery and Cheese departments in his time with Oliver’s, but his first love is the Bakery and all things chocolate.
Matt Hyer
Cheese Manager
Matt joined Oliver’s in 2010 as a Gourmet Cheese Clerk, bringing previous culinary retail experience from Sur la Table and Oakville Grocery. In 2014, he was named Department Lead and in 2015, he earned “Gourmet Cheese Monger” credentials. In 2016, he was named Gourmet Cheese Department Manager.
Caren Schroder
Wellness Manager
Caren joined Oliver’s in 2003 as a supplement consultant. She was promoted to Manager one year later. Caren’s background in Wellness is extensive. Prior to joining Oliver’s, she managed Country Store Natural Foods in Montgomery Village for 14 years.
Matteo Polverari
Wine Managaer
Matteo joined Oliver’s Market in April 2016 as a Wine Clerk, and was promoted to Assistant Wine Manager in 2019. He was named Wine Department Manager in November 2019. Prior to joining Oliver’s, Matteo gained experience in fine wine, retail, and grocery at Traverso’s Market and Ancient Oak Cellars.
Stony Point Store Management
Roger Guttridge
Store Director
After ten years with Sonoma Market and ten years at Raley’s, Roger joined the Oliver’s team in 2000. He worked in Receiving and Grocery, and then served as Grocery Buyer for several years before being named Assistant Store Director in Stony Point in 2012. He was named Stony Point Store Director in 2017.
Robbie Arend
1st Assistant Store Director
Robbie joined Oliver’s in 2010 as a Wine Clerk before taking on the roles of Front End Lead, Wine Manager, Dairy Lead, and Grocery Lead. In 2017, Robbie was named Second Assistant Store Director for Stony Point.
Alex Bozzetto
Production Manager
Alex joined Oliver’s in 2006 during high school as a Bagger before transitioning to Combo Clerk, Checker, Store Lead and Dairy lead. He was named Production Manager for Stony Point in 2020.
Carolyn Borr
Front End Customer Service Manager
Carolyn joined Oliver’s in 2009 as a checker. She brings a range of outside wholesale and retail experience to the position, including time with Home Depot and Petaluma Poultry. In 2010, she was promoted to Store Lead at Stony Point. In 2012 became the Second Assistant Store Director for Cotati.
Mayra Gomez
Delicatessen Manager
Mayra joined Oliver’s in 2008 in Deli Customer Service. From there, she has progressed through roles in Taqueria Customer Service, Taqueria Lead, Cook, Sous Chef, Assistant Manager, and Kitchen Manager before promotion to Deli Manager in January 2020.
Pedro Cortez Sanchez
Executive Chef
Pedro has been with Oliver’s since 2000 where he began his career as a cook at the Montecito store. Pedro was promoted to Sous Chef in November 2002 and has worked at both the Montecito and Stony Point locations.
Leanna Avila
Meat Department Manager
Leanna joined Oliver’s Market in March 2011 as a Bagger. She transitioned into the Meat Department with positions in Production, Meat Lead, and Assistant Meat Manager. She was promoted to Meat Department Manager in August 2020.
Jeritt Skelton
Produce Manager
Jeritt began his career with Oliver’s as a Produce Stocker from August 2005 to September 2008. Jeritt left Oliver’s to pursue another career path but returned in May 2009 working as a Journeyman Produce Clerk and Organic Lead. Jeritt was promoted to Produce Assistant Manager of the Windsor location in March 2016 and Produce Manager in 2018.
Alli Keyser-Marti
Gourmet Cheese Manager
Alli joined Oliver’s in January of 2020, as a Cheese Monger, bringing years of high-level background to the company, including stints with Cowgirl Creamery Cheese Shop & Cantina and restaurant kitchens. Alli’s general passion for cheese has led her on travels around the world from Portugal to Croatia. She was promoted to the position of Cheese Department Manager in February 2020.
Jordan Midyett
Bakery Manager
Jordan joined Oliver’s in August 2009 in the Meat Department. She moved into the Bakery Department in 2013 and was opening Assistant Manager for Windsor in 2016. She was named Stony Point Bakery Manager in 2017. Jordan received her AA in Culinary, Baking and Pastry from Santa Rosa Junior College.
Berhana Fekadu
Wellness Manager
Berhana began her career at Oliver’s Market in December 2016 where she served as the Wellness Assistant Manager and Interim Manager. She was promoted to Wellness Manager in 2018.
John Sevier
Wine Manager
John joined Oliver’s Market in October 2014 as a Produce Clerk. In August 2015, John transferred to the Montecito Wine department as a Wine Clerk Specialist until his promotion to Wine Manager in Stony Point.
Windsor Store Management
Laurie Tuxhorn
Store Director
Laurie began her career with Oliver’s in 1997 as a Checker. She progressed from there to work in all four stores, serving as POS Manager, Front End Lead, Grocery Lead, and was named First Assistant Store Director for Windsor when the store opened in 2016. She was named Windsor Store Director in 2017.
Dillon Bean
1st Assistant Store Director
Dillon was hired at Oliver’s in 2007 as a Produce Clerk. He was promoted to Produce Manager in 2016 and was the Produce Manager for the Windsor Store when it opened. Previous experience includes work with Raley’s and local wineries in tasting room sales and service. Dillon was promoted to Produce Manager for our Stony Point location in 2018. Dillon is now the 1st Assistant Store Director of our Windsor store.
Corazon Hernandez
Production Manager
Corazon started his career at Oliver’s Market in 2007 as a Checker in our Cotati store. From there, he was promoted to Dairy Lead at the Montecito store and Natural Lead in Windsor before receiving his promotion to Production Manager in August 2020.
Mike Martinez
Front End Customer Service Manager
Mike joined Oliver’s Montecito store in 2012, following 26 years at LADS Supermarket. He worked as a Grocery Stocker, Checker and Front End Lead before being promoted to the Second Assistant Store Director when the Windsor store opened in 2016. Mike is also a talented sign and chalk board artist.
Diana Fehrn
Delicatessen Manager
Diana joined the Oliver’s team in 2007 as a Deli customer service clerk and was promoted to Deli Assistant Manager that year for the opening of the Stony Point store. After several stints in both stores, in 2013 Diana was promoted to Deli Manager at Montecito. She then moved to the Windsor store to serve on the opening team in early 2016.
Nick Zielke
Executive Chef
Nick was born in Santa Rosa and is a third generation Sonoma County resident. He started his career with Oliver’s as a Sous Chef at Stony Point in late 2010. In 2012, he was promoted to Executive Chef at Montecito. In early 2016, Nick was tapped to join the Windsor store team in his current position.
Jenny Elmer
Meat Department Manager
Jenny joined Oliver’s Market in 2013 as a Meat Department Customer Service person. From there, she progressed into Meat Production, Meat Lead, and Meat Assistant Manager positions. She was promoted to Meat Department Manager in August 2020.
Todd “Rocket” Burton
Produce Manager
“Rocket”, as he is known, joined Oliver’s Market in January 2000 as a Dairy Lead. He has worn several other hats during his tenure at Oliver’s, including Grocery lead, 1st Assistant Store Director, 2nd Assistant Store Director, and Journeyman produce clerk before his promotion to Produce Department Manager at our Windsor store in October 2020. An avid outdoorsman and gardener, “Rocket” enjoys all that Sonoma County has to offer.
Michele Pedro
Bakery & Tavern Manager
Michele joined Oliver’s in 2010 as a Cake Decorator at the Stony Point store. She was then promoted to Assistant Manager and then Bakery Manager before being tapped to join the opening team for Oliver’s Windsor store. Michele earned her Baking and Pastry Certificate from Santa Rosa Junior College.
Phyllis Heagney
Executive Baker
With management experience across bakery, deli and cheese departments, Phyllis Heagney has worked for Oliver’s Markets since 2005. Now supervising a crew of dedicated bakers baking goodies for all 4 bakery departments, Phyllis is happiest turning startling amounts of butter and sugar into delicious creations.
Robert Deakins
Cheese Manager
Robert Deakins joined the Oliver’s Market team in 2007 as the Gourmet Cheese manager at the Stony Point location. Prior to Oliver’s Market, Robert managed the Specialty Department at Whole Foods Market in Sebastopol for ten years.
Brandon Witwicki
Wine Manager
Brandon joined Oliver’s in August 2016 in the Dairy Department. He progressed to the Grocery Department and then moved into the Wine Department, first as Wine Clerk and then Assistant Wine Manager. He was named Wine Department Manager in August 2020.
Lisa Minacci
Wellness Manager
Lisa began her Oliver’s Market career in October 2007 as a Health & Beauty Aid (HABA) Customer Service Clerk at our Montecito store. She was named Assistant HABA Manager in December 2010. Lisa transferred to the Windsor Wellness Department in April 2017 as the Assistant Manager and has been promoted to Wellness Manager on April 1, 2018.